Thursday, July 17, 2014

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's military says three mortar shells were fired from Gaza after a humanitarian cease-fire went into effect.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld had earlier said two rockets fell in open areas in southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. He said the rockets landed at 12 p.m. local time, two hours after the cease-fire began.

The army later said in a statement that the attack consisted of three mortar shells.

It was not immediately clear whether the Israeli military would respond. Israel and Hamas both agreed on a halt in fighting for a five-hour period Thursday to allow Gazans to stock up on supplies.

CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's foreign minister says its proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas is gaining momentum, calling it the only viable way to stop an "intolerable humanitarian situation" in Gaza.

"The plan has been widely endorsed by the Arab League, it has been endorsed by the European Union... and it continues to gain momentum in terms of recognition," Sameh Shukri said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.

The plan, which includes easing access to Gaza, was accepted by Israel this week but rejected by Hamas, which said it had never been consulted, a claim Shukri denied.

More than 230 Palestinians and an Israeli have been killed in 10 days of cross-border fighting.

___

Russia's Putin: New US sanctions drive bilateral relations into a corner, hurt US firms too

MOSCOW (AP) -- President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lamented the latest round of U.S. sanctions against Russia, saying they will stalemate bilateral relations and hurt not only Russian but also American businesses.

Russia's benchmark MICEX was down 2.6 percent in early afternoon trading Thursday upon news of the sanctions while Russia's biggest oil company, Rosneft, was nearly 5 percent down.

Putin's comments came hours after President Barack Obama announced broader sanctions against Russia, targeting two major energy firms including Rosneft, a pair of powerful financial institutions, eight weapons firms and four individuals. The increased U.S. economic pressure is designed to end the insurgency in eastern Ukraine that is widely believed to be backed by the Kremlin.

The U.S. penalties, however, stopped short of the most stringent actions the West has threatened, which would fully cut off key sectors of Russia's oil-dependent economy. But officials said those steps were still on the table if Russia fails to abide by the West's demands to stop its support for the pro-Russia insurgents who have destabilized eastern Ukraine.

The insurgents have been fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine for four months now in a conflict that the U.N. says has killed over 400 people and has displaced tens of thousands. The conflict took off shortly after Russia annexed the mostly Russian-speaking Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

___

Gunmen attack airport in Afghan capital, forcing it to close for hours

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Gunmen carried out a pre-dawn rocket attack on Kabul International Airport on Thursday, temporarily shutting down the facility and setting off a gunbattle with security forces in which four attackers were killed, officials said.

The militants occupied two buildings which were under construction some 700 meters (yards) north of the facility, and were using them as a base to direct rockets and gunfire toward the airport and international jet fighters flying over Kabul, said Afghan army Gen. Afzal Aman.

Kabul Police Chief Mohammed Zahir Zahir later said four of the attackers were killed and that the attack was halted without any civilian or police casualties.

The airport was later reopened and operations returned to normal, Zahir said, after security forces inspected the runways for shrapnel and explosives.

The pre-dawn attack comes during a tense time in Afghanistan, as a recount is underway from the disputed second round of a presidential election seen as key to insuring a peaceful transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of the year.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats and Republicans are fervently pursuing a batch of doomed bills in Congress because they target a coveted prize in the Nov. 4 elections: female voters.

Wednesday's Senate vote on contraception legislation is the latest example of Democrats' win-by-losing strategy, which forces Republicans to vote on sensitive matters that might rile women this fall.

Recent votes on "pay equity" and family leave issues were similarly aimed at women, who are increasingly crucial to Democrats' election hopes, and therefore worrisome to Republicans. Any shift in women's typical turnout or Democratic tilt this fall could determine tight elections, especially for the Senate.

Republicans need to gain six Senate seats to control the chamber, and these women's issues are especially lively in the most contested states, including Colorado, North Carolina, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Both parties must cater to their ideological bases in this midterm election year, even as they woo women who don't always vote. Nearly all Republicans are opposing measures that appear likely to expand abortion access, place new requirements on employers or limit religious conservatives' rights. And Democrats overwhelmingly support abortion access, worker benefits and equal treatment of women in the workplace.

___

Justice Department to update Congress on IRS probe; missing emails now part of investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Justice Department investigation into the Internal Revenue Service has expanded to include an inquiry into the disappearance of emails from a former senior IRS official.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole was to update Congress on Thursday about the department's investigation into whether the agency targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. He also was expected to tell members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that investigators now were looking into emails that went missing from the computer of Lois Lerner, who headed the IRS division that deals with tax-exempt organizations.

The IRS has said it lost the emails in 2011 when Lerner's computer crashed.

Lerner, who refused to answer questions at two House committee hearings, has become a central figure in several congressional investigations into the handling of applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups. At both hearings, Lerner cited her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself. In May, the Republican-led House voted to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify.

Lerner's attorney, William Taylor III, declined to comment Wednesday.

___

Bolivia on verge of legalizing work by children as young as 10 -- world's lowest work age

With luck, the 12-year-old and her mother will together muster $18 by day's end, all the while keeping watch over her younger brother and sister, ages 8 and 6.

"It is difficult for my mother to sell alone because she has to look after my brothers," said Alicia, who normally goes to school in the afternoon but is using her vacation to help her mother by working the entire day. As her brothers sleep, her mother knits the flowers that Alicia sells.

While most of the world is trying to diminish child labor, Bolivia is on the verge of becoming the first nation to legalize it from age 10. Congress has approved the proposal and all that's now required is President Evo Morales' signature.

The bill's sponsors say lowering the minimum work age from 14 simply acknowledges a reality: Many poor families in Bolivia have no other choice than for their kids to work. The bill offers working children safeguards, they say.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Palestinian-American teenager who relatives say was beaten by Israeli authorities has returned home to Florida and says he will never think of freedom in the same way again.

Tariq Abu Khdeir, 15, and his mother flew back to Tampa late Wednesday on a flight arriving from New York and were greeted by about 50 cheering supporters waving American and Palestinian flags. The Khdeirs had flown out of Israel earlier in the day.

"I am only 15 but I will never think of freedom the same as I did two months ago," Tariq said upon arrival at Tampa International Airport. "No child, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli, deserves to die."

The teenager said the thoughts and prayers of the supporters had helped him, adding "I got through these past two weeks because I knew you were all thinking of me."

Now, he said, he just wanted some relaxation and time with friends. "It feels so good to be back in Tampa. Can I even put it in words? I can't wait to go back to play with my friends and go fishing," he added.

___

Families tell of struggles to get youths out of Mexican shelter where police rescued 607

ZAMORA, Mexico (AP) -- Relatives of youths rescued by police from a refuse-strewn group home where employees allegedly beat and raped residents are telling of how they tried to remove their loved ones, only to be met with demands for thousands of dollars for their release.

Mainly poor parents and other relatives thronged outside the home Wednesday as a garbage truck finished hauling away an estimated 20 tons of trash from what Mexican authorities said was an insect-infested shelter that had housed 607 adults and children, often against their will.

Maria Valdivia Vasquez, 65, waited to be allowed in for a brief visit with her 17-year-old grandson, Jose Antonio Martinez. She said his mother sent him to The Great Family group home a decade ago because of behavioral problems. Relatives were allowed to visit him only twice a year, and shelter employees had recently been sitting in on the visits, apparently to monitor residents' comments, she said.

Valdivia Vasquez said that when she decided to ask that the boy be released to her, shelter founder Rosa del Carmen Verduzco, known as "Mama Rosa," demanded 70,000 pesos ($5,400) for his release.

She said Jose Antonio often barely spoke in front of the shelter employees, but said once that "he wanted his mother to suffer the same thing he was suffering there."

___

Woods' return to the majors gets off to shaky start with 2 straight bogeys at Royal Liverpool

HOYLAKE, England (AP) -- Tiger Woods is off to a shaky start in the British Open.

Playing a major for the first time since back surgery, Woods looked rusty with bogeys on the first two holes at Royal Liverpool on Thursday.

A warm, sunny morning with only a slight breeze led to plenty of numbers in the red. Spain's Sergio Garcia and Italy's Edoardo Molinari are at 3 under, with Erik Compton among those a shot back.

Woods ran into trouble at the first hole when his approach shot caught one of the treacherous pot bunkers. His next shot scooted through the green and led to bogey.

At No. 2, the three-time Open champion knocked a long putt about 6 feet past the hole, then missed the comebacker to take his score to 2 over.